Brimstone Advanced Anti- Armour Missile, United Kingdom
Transcript
1. INTRODUCTION MISSILE DEMONSTRATION DAMAGE CONTROL
ANTI-TANKWARHEAD UPGRADE
2. The Brimstone advanced anti-armour missile, developed by
MBDA (formerly Alenia Marconi Systems) with Boeing as the primary
subcontractor, entered a pre-production development programme in
1996. It began quantity production in late 2004.
3. The Brimstone missile made its first firing against a fast
in-shore attack craft in June 2012. MBDA then demonstrated its
precision low collateral capability from a MQ-9 Reaper
remotely-piloted aircraft in January 2014, while the maritime
capability was demonstrated against a fast in-shore attack craft
was in March and April of the same year.
4. For low collateral damage control, the missile can be
programmed not to initiate target search until it has passed a
given point. This allows Brimstone to safely overfly friendly
forces. Brimstone can also be programmed to cease target search
beyond a determined engagement area or to accept a target only
within a specified area. The missile is fitted with a programmable
self- destruct mechanism.
5. Brimstone is armed with a tandem high- explosive anti-tank
warhead capable of penetrating explosive reactive armour. The front
charge initiates the explosion of the armour and clears the path
for the main charge to penetrate it with the anti-tank jet
dart
6. Brimstone 2, an improved version of the Brimstone missile,
features new airframe, millimetre-wave (mmW) radar with semi-active
laser dual mode seeker capability, and an insensitive munition (IM)
rocket motor and warhead. It was fired at fast targets with a
telemetry system in October 2013 and fitted to a Typhoon aircraft
for the first time in December 2014. Production of Brimstone 2
began in July 2014 and the missile is expected to enter service
with the UK RAF in 2018.